Tensioning device



July 6, H65 G. F. BARRETT 7 3,193,252

TENSIONING DEVICE Filed April 22, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VENTOR.

GEORGE F BAR/2577' 4 ZZZ f aww ATTORNEYS.

July 3% G. F. BARRETT TENSIONING- DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 22, 1963 III 32 INVENTOR.

GEORGE F. BARRETT am WTZORNEYE.

United States Patent 3,193,252 TENSIONING DEVICE George F. Barrett, Littleton, Colo., assignor, by direct and mesue assignments, to The Kamphausen Company, Englewood, Col0., a corporation of Colorado Filed Apr. 22, I963, Ser. No. 274,491 4 Claims. (Cl. 254-51) This invention relates to a method and means for reinforcing utility poles.

It is well known that power or telephone poles of wood or wooden poles for other purposes become weakened by rotting and erosion, this weakening being most severe at and below the ground level. Various efforts have been made to reinforce poles which have become weakened in this manner, the usual method being to drive a wood timber or pole section adjacent to the existing pole and then bolt the reinforcing timber or pole to the existing pole. This method is unsightly, inconvenient and only moderately effective.

A much more effective reinforcement may be provided by driving a steel reinforcing plate of arcuate cross section into the ground directly against the pole and then securing the reinforcing plate to the pole. I have found that such a reinforcement is particularly effective when the plate is secured to the pole by metal bands or straps which encircle the pole and plate.

The present invention provides a novel procedure and novel mechanical means for thus securing a reinforcing plate to a pole by means of encircling metal bands.

While a single embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the following specification, it is to be understood that such embodiment is by Way of example and for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention, the scope of which is limited only as defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a general view of a power or telephone pole having a reinforcing stub banded thereto;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an elevational view of one of the bands employed in securing a stub to a pole;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a seal or clenching de vice used for securing a band about a pole and stub;

FIG. 5 is an end view of the seal of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1 showing a clenched or locked seal;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing one form of the stub banding apparatus of the present invention in position for eiiecting a banding operation;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIG. 7 but with portions removed to show the band applying ratchet mechanism;

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the banding apparatus of FIG. 7 as viewed generally from the right hand side of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of a pole having a modified form of stub wherein the stub is of somewhat smaller radius than the pole.

Like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several figures of the drawings. Referring first to FIG. 1, the numeral 10 designates a power or telephone pole or a pole for other purposes which is driven into the ground indicated at 11. A reinforcing member 12, known in this art as a stub, comprises an elongate metal member of arcuate cross section which may be produced, merely as a matter of convenience, by cutting oil well pipe longitudinally.

The stub 12 is driven into the ground with the inner concave face thereof against the surface of pole 12 and 3,i93,252 Patented July 6, 1965 the present invention is concerned particularly with the method and means for binding the stub 12 and thus retaining the same in secure peripheral contact with the pole 10. The apparatus for applying securing bands about the pole and stub is illustrated particularly in FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 and reference will now be had to those figures of the drawings.

A mounting bracket designated generally by the numeral 20 includes an integral leg portion 21 and a second leg member 22 is pivoted to bracket 20 as at 23, all as clearly illustrated in FIG. 7. Leg portion 21 and leg member 22 have terminal tooth formations 24 and 25 which are adapted to engage the opposite edges of stub 12 as shown in FIG. 7. A screw 26 threads through bracket 20 and has a swivel end member 27 for engagement against stub 12. Tightening screw 26 by means of a handle 28 mounts bracket 20 securely with respect to stub 12.

Bracket 20 is thus mounted upon stub 12 directly below the level at which a band is to be secured about the pole and stub. Mechanism for tightening a band about the pole and stub is mounted upon leg portion 21 of bracket 20 and will now be described. A pair of spaced flanges 31 formed integrally with leg portion 21 include bearing formations 32 which rotatably support a shaft or spindle 33 which has a manual turning knob 34 at its lower end and a transvers slot formation 35 at its upper end as shown in FIG. '9.

An operating member 38 comprises a tubular socket portion adapted to receive a handle or lever member 39 and includes bifurcations 40 which fit within the bearing formations 32 and rotate upon shaft 33. A ratchet Wheel 42 is fixed to shaft 32 and disposed between the bifurca tions 40 of operating member 38.

An operating pawl 44 is pivoted between the bifurcations 40 of operating member 38 and includes a manual pawl releasing portion 46. Pawl 44 is normally urged into operating engagement with ratchet wheel 42 by a coil spring 48. A locking pawl for preventing retrograde rotation of ratchet wheel 42 is designated 47 in FIG. 8 and is pivoted between the flanges 31 of bracket 20.

With the bracket 20 secured in operating position as described above the procedure in applying a band about a pole and stub is as follows. One end of a metal band 50 is nailed to the pole 10 as shown at 52 in FIG. 7 and one or more securing devices 51 are slid upon the band. Band 50 is mailed to the pole 10 in such position that its lower edge is flush with and may rest upon the upper edge of bracket 20. The securing devices 51 comprise relatively flattened C-shaped clips or ferrules, one of which is shown in detail in FIGS. 4 and 5. A band 50 is shown in elevation in FIG. 3.

Band 50 is then wrapped entirely about the pole and stub and the free end of the band is passed through the ferrules or seals 51 and the free end of the band is then placed in the slot 35 in the upper end of shaft 33. Excess band beyond shaft .33 may be snipped off. The Workman may then take up slack in the band by turning the manual ratchet knob 34, the band 50 being thus wrapped about shaft 33.

Substantial tensile force may then be applied to the band 50 to wrap the same tightly about the pole and stub by reciprocating lever 39 to operate the ratchet mechanism. When sufiicient tension has been applied, which tension in the band is maintained by locking pawl 47, the securing devices or ferrules 51 are clenched or crimped by indenting them as shown in FIGS. 2 and 6 to lock the two layers of band 50 securely therein.

It is now merely necessary to back off screw 26 to release the bracket 20 and the entire tensioning device may then be lowered which moves the slotted shaft 33 from the end of band 59, leaving the latter in the condir The arc'uate reinforcing member need not lie flatagainst'the pole as inthe embodiment illustrated in FIGS;

mechanism is applied to the stub'as in the previous embodiment and the band is applied about the pole and stub as previously described and as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

I claim:

1. A tensioning device for handing a reinforcing stub to a pole or the like comprising a clamp having a pair of arm members pivoted at their inner ends, said arm members having outer ends adapted for clamping engagement with the opposite sides of the reinforcing stub, a screw threadedly engaging said clamp and extending between said arm members for bearing against said reinforcing stub, said screw being operable to draw said outer arm member ends tightly against said reinforcing stub thereby to clamp said device in place thereon, a band-engaging spindle carried by said clamp, a pivoted actuating arm, one way clutch means interconnecting said arm and said spindle for step-by-step rotation of the latter by the former, and means releasably locking said spindle against.

rotation, in the opposite direction. a

2. A tensioning device for handing a reinforcing stub to a pole or the like comprising a clamp having a pair of arm members pivoted at their inner ends, said arm members having router ends adapted for clamping engagemerit with the opposite sides of the reinforcing stub, a screw threadedly engaging said clamp and extending between said arm members for hearing against said reinforcing stub, said screw being operable to draw said outer arm member ends tightly against said reinforcing stub thereby to clamp said device in place thereon, a bandengaging spindle carried by said clamp, and manual unidirectional drive means for rotating said spindle to wind said band thereon to tension thetsame. v

3. A tensioning-device for banding a reinforcing stub to a pole or the like comprising a clamp having a pair of pivoted arm members adapted for clamping engagement with the opposite sides of the reinforcing stub, a,

screw threadedly engaging said clamp and extending between said ar m members for bearing against said reinforcing stub, said screw being operable to draw said arm members tightly against said reinforcing stub thereby to clamp said device in place thereon, a Winding shaft carried by said clamp and adapted to engage the band, and manual uni-directional drive means for rotating said shaft to-wind said band thereon to tension the same.

4. A tensioning device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said drive means comprise means for rotating said shaft in a band winding direction and for preventing reverse rotation thereof, and manual means operable to impart band winding movement to said shaft rotating means to tension said band for securement thereof in tightly encircling relationship to said pole and reinforcing member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,833,168 1'1/31 ,MacChesney et al. 254-51 1,904,914 4/33' Bradley 254-51 2,090,972 8/37 Allen 20-99 2,156,062 4/39 Porter 254-51 2,265,452 12/41 Ruggieri 20-99 7 2,934,318 4/6 0 Schultz 254-51 WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, M. HENSON WOOD, IR.,

Examiners. 

1. A TENSIONING DEVICE FOR BANDING A REINFORCING STUB TO A POLE OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A CLAMP HAVING A PAIR OF ARM MEMBERS PIVOTED AT THEIR INNER ENDS, SAID ARM MEMBERS HAVING OUTER ENDS ADAPTED FOR CLAMPING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE REINFORCING STUB, A SCREW THREADEDLY ENGAGING SAID CLAMP AND EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID ARM MEMBERS FOR BEARING AGAINST SAID REINFORCING STUB, SAID SCREW BEING OPERABLE TO DRAW AND OUTER ARM MEMBER ENDS TIGHTLY AGAINST SAID REINFORCING STUB THEREBY TO CLAMP SAID DEVICE IN PLACE THEREON, A BAND-ENGAGING SPINDLE CARRIED BY SAID CLAMP, A PIVOTED ACTUATING ARM, ONE WAY CLUTCH MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID ARM AND SAID 